10/4: Edinburgh's St. Giles Cathedral & Reformer John Knox

Steven and I had tried to visit Scotland's most important church, St. Giles' Cathedral, the day before but it had unexpectedly closed earlier than usual because of some event they were hosting. I read the fascinating interior contained nearly 200 memorials honoring distinguished Scots through the ages, but don't worry, I won't bore you showing all of them! Though the facade was 19th century Neo-Gothic, the cathedral's interior was mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Just inside the entrance was the Robert Burns Window, a tribute to who is widely regarded as Scotland's national poet and whose memory is celebrated on his birthday each year in Scotland and around the world. Burns is probably best remembered as a humanitarian poet who wrote against oppression and injustice. Burns likely took inspiration from the egalitarian ideas of the French Revolution as well as figures closer to home such as the Scottish political reformer Thomas Muir.

Most of Burns' poetry was written in Scots, one of three languages native to Scotland including English and Gaelic. Following the 1707 Union between England and Scotland, many Scottish writers began to drop their distinct language in order to appeal to wider audiences, especially in London. Burns, however, was one of several writers to resist this and opted instead to emphasize the uniqueness of Scottish literature. Writing in Scots, Burns commented on everything from political revolutions in Europe to the slave trade.

It wasn't until 1982 that St. Giles Cathedral agreed to place a Burns Window in a prominent position above the West Door because of a long-held complaint that the city lacked a significant memorial to the memory of Burns. The window was split into three sections depicting the principal themes of the poet's work: the love of nature as exemplified by the green on the lower level; the love of humanity in the middle section with the circle; and love itself on the top with the rosy red sunburst to remind everyone of Burns' famous line, "My love is like a red, red rose." Though there was no image of the poet in the window, it did contain a copy of his signature in clear glass.

The Pre-Raphael window, just to the right of the Burns window, was a tribute to John Marshall, an important patron.

We then passed a long stretch of war memorials to reach the statue of John Knox, the great religious reformer who first preached here in 1559. Knox, pictured looking down at a book, had insisted that everyone should be able to read the word of God. 

Three hundred years ahead of the rest of Europe, Knox was responsible for giving Scotland an educational system. The famous French philosopher, Voltaire, called Scotland "the intellectual capital of Europe" as it was Scottish minds, partly due to Knox, which led the way in medicine, math, science, and engineering. 

If you've ever wondered about the similarities between the Scots and Dutch, that's because both followed the Calvin creed that Knox preached of hard work, strict ethics, and frugality. Both nations are therefore famous for their industriousness and frugality. 

When Knox preached here, the cathedral was very simple and whitewashed. The grand pulpit was the center attraction because the focus was on his sermons rather than on religious rituals and holy services that had been the norm. As stained glass was thought to separate the people from God, Knox had the fancy windows removed and replaced with clear glass. Those were changed again by the Victorians in the 19th century to the magnificent windows we were treated to!

One of Europe's finest organs, this Austrian-built one, was added to the church in 1992.

We entered a tiny chapel that was clearly marked for silence and prayer to admire its lustrous stained-glass window. The famous window illustrated the commotion that surrounded Knox when he preached in the cathedral from 1559-1572. 

As there were no pews in his era, the church was packed to the gills with people even looking through clear windows from across the street! It was easy to see the monumental impact Knox had on his community from the images in the glass. What an electrifying orator Knox must have been.

We looked for the copy of the National Covenant as the original was signed in blood in 1638 by Scottish heroes who refused to compromise their faith and rejected the attempt by King Charles I and William Land, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to force the Scottish church to adhere to English liturgical practice and church governance. The covenant was a declaration of independence for the Scottish church. How sad to learn that most who signed were martyred.

I was so happy we'd returned to the cathedral that morning as soon as we entered the Thistle Chapel that was filled with intricate wood carving that was just spectacular! The private chapel of Scotland's only chivalric order, the Order of the Thistle, was built in 1910 and 1911 of exclusively Scottish labor and materials. The chapel is only used a few times a year when the knights gather and to inaugurate a new member when one dies.

The striking ceiling in the chapel:

The marble in the chapel came from the Isle of Iona that we'd visited a few days previously. 

The Queen sits at this fancy stall when leading Scottish citizens becomes members in the Order. Her Scottish coat-of-arms has been described as a "heraldic zoo of symbolism!"

We were incredibly fortunate that, unknowingly, we'd timed our visit to the cathedral with a choir concert that began shortly after we'd explored all that we wanted to see of the stunning cathedral. I don't know who lucked out more, the melodious German choir able to perform at Scotland's most important church or all those listening that early fall morning!

Next post: Dolly the sheep at the National Museum of Scotland and, depending on my time and energy, the National Portrait Gallery, too!

From Edinburgh to a jeep safari in a national park near Dambulla, Sri Lanka in early March: 

https://bergersadventures8.blogspot.com/2020/05/39-dambulla-elephants-on-jeep-safari.html

Posted on June 2nd, 2020, from our home in Denver as we all watch in horror and profound sadness at the twin events occupying our nation's airwaves and hearts: the pandemic and resulting economic crisis, and the social unrest, wondering when these shall pass. Please be safe and take care of yourself and each other.